Manila Mayor Wayne Wagner and Manila City Council members are working overtime to get the final touches on the swimming pool project. They held two special meetings last week following the bid openings on Aug. 30.

The bids came in over the $2.6 million budget and officials have been looking at ways to cut the cost without downsizing the pool size or the pool extras such as a playground, slides, diving board, etc.

Mayor Wagner and council members have met with the engineers and they are working with the low bidder, also. The low bid was submitted by Olympus Construction at $3,025,000.

Cost saving changes were discussed at Monday's meeting. The major change discussed, which will save the most, is moving the therapeutic pool to the bathhouse building that will also service the swimming pool. The original plans were to construct a separate building for the therapeutic pool near the community center. Locating the therapeutic pool to the bathhouse will cost much less.

Other cuts considered included regular fencing instead of decorative fencing; omitting two party pavilions; taking out a party room which will make room for the therapeutic pool; shingle roofing instead of metal roofing; waiting on signs; and possibly using a different finish on the interior blocks.

Mayor Wagner and Council members agreed they did not want to cut the size of the pool, the slides, play area, or the size of the therapeutic pool.

The councilmen met with Will Andrews, with ETC Engineers and Architects, on Thursday. Andrews said with the basic changes the estimated pool cost could go down to $1,963,555. They will have to get a new bid for constructing the therapeutic pool inside the bathhouse.

The council met Monday with David Hopkins, engineer, to discuss the cost of parking lots, streets, and sidewalks.

Mayor Wagner said at the Thursday meeting he hoped someone from Olympus could be at the meeting on Monday and be able to sign a contract and go right into a pre-construction meeting.

"It is still going to be a really nice facility," Councilman Jason Baltimore said. "We are not cutting anything in the pool area. We are leaving all of the play equipment for the children and the youth."

The therapeutic pool will be equipped with a lift chair, walk down stairs, and be completely handicapped accessible.

Mayor Wagner said the final decision and changes need to be made so the pool project can stay on schedule and be up and ready to open in May of 2013.